I love being Jewish because I am able to live by the Torah. Becoming a Bat Mitzvah means that I am officially an adult in the Jewish community and able to take on more responsibility. During this process, I became closer to my Jewish community and had so much fun while doing it. I also learned to be a self-starter and that I can accomplish any task.

For my mitzvah project, I volunteered at the Cyzner Institute, a school for children with disabilities. I chose to do this because I love kids and have a special place in my heart for these children. In my elementary school in Kansas City, students were mixed in with kids with disabilities. This was a really cool experience! My school here doesn’t have that, and I miss those relationships. I appreciated the opportunity to reconnect with kids with disabilities. It was really fun, and I enjoyed it so much I asked to volunteer another week!

Becoming a Jewish adult is a really big deal, and I know I will be given more responsibility now. I plan to keep studying Torah, keep living the Jewish life, including coming to services, and possibly become a Hebrew tutor.

Lauren is the daughter of Alexis and Chris Schwartz. She is the sister of Jacob Drew. She has three sets of grandparents, Darlene and Ed Wilson of Anderson IN, Mona and David Schwartz of Carmel IN, and Carole and Jerry Sternstein who live in Charlotte NC. Notes of Mazel Tov can be sent to leckiann@gmail.com and schwartz_lauren@icloud.com.